Mercedes-Benz of Sugar Land in Texas has an exciting approach to teen drivers.

Typically, you wouldn't let a teen driver near a shiny new Benz, but MB Sugar Land allows local teens to drive its products at the MSR Houston racing facility.

This initiative started as a bonus for loyal clients' kids, but it was expanded in 2019 to include teens from Clements High School. Benz-owning parents are not required to enter the program, so what's the catch? According to Automotive News, the main reason is retention.

"We pitch it as taking care of our clients inside and outside of our dealership," said Derek Brown, the store's vice president of marketing. "I definitely think it's a retention tool. It's definitely a loyalty component."

Clement High also happens to be where IndyCar driver, Kory Enders, graduated. He also went through the same program as a teen because his dad owns the dealerships. Now Enders makes enough cash to cover half of the cost for the teens currently going through the program, while the dealership covers the rest.

The teens learn many driving skills, including reversing, evasive lane changes, and proper braking techniques. The emphasis is on safe driving and accident avoidance. The method is to put them in extreme situations in a controlled environment, with Kory Enders on hand to teach the techniques. They use the CLA and GLC to teach the kids.

This goes above and beyond the skills needed to pass the US driving test. It seems like a good idea to us, as cars with 1,000 hp no longer have any shock value. If you have a license and enough money, you go in and buy a Tesla Model S, no questions asked.

"The benefit is we have happy parents, we have safe drivers, smarter drivers, and we have gratitude from our clients, so there's an intangible benefit," Brown said. "They know that we are sincerely vested in the safety of their families and, specifically, their children."

To date, 260 teens have gone through the program, but MB Sugar Land has plans to expand it further. It has reached out to other high schools in the area to get involved. Brown mentions it also gives the dealer time to chat to parents as they watch their kids learn these new skills and proves that a dealership can do more than just sell cars.

The whole dealership model has come under scrutiny lately for inflating prices due to a shortage in supply.

"It feels good to do something right as a dealership, to kind of break the stereotype," Brown said.